


Digital Feedback

by StarredDemation



Category: Borderlands (Video Games), Tales from the Borderlands - Fandom
Genre: Adventure, Might get them together, Slap some comedy on that sucker, Suspense, Will add tags as I go, tragic backstory
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-14
Updated: 2018-07-08
Packaged: 2019-05-07 02:03:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14661056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarredDemation/pseuds/StarredDemation
Summary: Instead of keeping Jack or crushing him Rhys just tosses the ECHO Eye away. 10 years after Helios crashed a scavenger comes across the eye possessing the ex-CEO when searching for loot in the debris. Accompanied by the annoying AI the two set off on a mission to find Tim, Jack's old body double. But their quest is endangered by a mysterious woman and her desire to obtain the eye, along with Jack.





	1. Finders Keepers

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! So this is my first time writing a fanfiction and I'm having a TON of fun. I've played a little bit of Borderlands 1 and 2 (which I'm currently in the middle of playing) and I'm pretty much done Tales from the Borderlands and I just had to write something. Jack is too good of a character not to write about. I started writing this before finishing the second game so a few things might be wrong or off. I still hope you enjoy it anyways (sorry if there are some editing mistakes. I tried).  
> Without further ado...I present...my first fanfic.

      "We're past playing games Rhysie." Jack spoke in a dark menacing tone, his back to Rhys.

      "All I need is time! One day... when you've forgotten all about me... I'll take over your body and skin you alive with your own two hands."

      "Perhaps when you're sleeping...getting laid...while you're taking a shit...or maybe I just play the long game and watch you wither away with age. Either way... I'm gonna watch you die."Lifting himself into a sitting position, Rhys took a piece of broken glass and plunged it into the side of his head, trying to take out the port along with its hard drive. His body flickering Jack whipped around.

      "Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, w-w-what are you doing? What the... Rhys, what the hell are you doing?!" With one mighty pull the device was yanked from its place and thrown away. The hologram's body glitched out of existence for a couple of seconds and then returned. Taking a few steps toward Rhys, he continued his pleads.  
" No-no please, please! Please don't do this! No Rhys, you-you don't know what it's like!" The business man held the shard of glass up to his ECHO Eye and dug it in, sparks flying to and fro leaving it dangling limply.

      "Please...Hey! HEY! I'm on my knees here." Jack desperately continued on.

      "Please don't send me back there... It's not like they say." Ignoring the holo's pleads, Rhys continued, grabbing onto the dangling lens and slowly yanking, the cord coming out, yet still not fully exposed.

      "There's nothing...there's absolutely nothing there... Don't do this." Flickering in and out, the fallen man looked up with pleading eyes.  
_..._  
Goodbye.  
I win.  
**I'm sorry.**  
      "I'm sorry, Jack. It's over." Jack quickly got to his feet and ran toward him attempting to stop his inevitable demise, frantically grabbing at Rhys. With one final pull, the wires holding the eye to him finally broke.

  
      "No! Naaaahhhh!" With that, Handsome Jack disappeared much like when a light goes out when one flips a light switch. Holding his eye in his hand and possibly the last known existence of the crazy mastermind he let it set in and then tossed it away.

-

      The Pandoran wind whipped through the wreckage of the Helios spacecraft that crashed over 10 years ago, which was practically empty, aside from the rusted and weathered remains of the great ship and a group calling themselves The Children of Helios who have based themselves relatively close to it. Upon the distant mounts of earth sat a figure observing the scene. It was a young women of 28, a scavenger who from the looks of it was developing a plan of attack on how to enter the mess of ship parts. The scraps of Helios had become a hotspot for rare and amazing finds for anyone who was lucky enough to get past the swarms of Helios Children but for one woman to do it alone? She must have truly lost it (which isn't rare in Pandora). Perhaps she believed that she was skilled enough to sneak in and out unnoticed. Either way, she was on the move and slowly started to descend towards the craft.

      Waiting for the group of past desk jockeys to make their roundabout and pass her hiding spot behind a large piece of debris, she calculated her goal. A small gap between two large pieces of the ship was her entrance, just large enough for the scavenger to fit her small and lean stature through. There she would be safe and any potential threats that may spot her would be too large to follow suit. Once they passed she sprinted to the next cover a couple feet away. She continued this process from piece to piece of scattered metal leading towards the ship till she reached the humongous outer pieces and located her desired crack. Getting on her hands and knees, she crawled through and crossed the threshold.

      Upon reaching the other side, she rose to her feet and her breath was taken away. Inside the fortress of debris were series upon series of electronics and glass surfaces long forgotten. Broken wires and cables, their previously sparking frayed ends having long lost their electric kiss. The mid day sun glinted off of the dust covered screens and glass panes that had yet to be shattered.

      She continued onward glad to have made it inside unseen by the used-to-be corporate henchmen. The less attention the better.

      Most of what she could find were scorched devices of unknown use and unsalvageable metal most of which were too twisted up or melted to even be of any value. What she craved to find most were the unusual items whose origins could only be from Helios; a prototype gun, detrimental Hyperion documents, heck even Butt Stallion (but what's the likeliness of that). ANYTHING that you generally can't find all over Pandora. Oh and what GREAT luck she was having at finding any of those. ZERO. ZIP. NADA. NOTHING! The scavenger searched every possible nook and cranny that she could find and there was absolutely nothing of any value. The only thing that was remotely valuable was the memory of finding a non-destroy cubicle that was absolutely littered with posters of Handsome Jack. _What kind of maniac would pin these up like kitten posters?!_

      The sun was close to setting and yet she had found nothing. _Looks like the mission to this shithole was absolutely USELESS! This whole day was for NOTHING!_ Enraged at her endeavour she kicked at a small piece of metal sending it flying toward an opening that she had not seen before.

      "Perhaps this won't be a shit show after all." Moving toward the elongated triangle shaped opening, the scavenger wedged her way through, her short tattered cloak occasionally snagging on lips and sharp points. The crevasse opened up to reveal a path weaving in and out of various pieces of debris. After following it and crawling through some expensive ass car as well as passing a headless statue, along with its head, she at last found what she was looking for.

      She was standing in a large open room with a fallen over office chair in the centre. Directly behind it was a shattered window that allowed a view of the setting sun, giving the whole room a warm sort of feel. _Must have been some big shot's office._ The scavenger briskly checked around searching behind rocks and metal when finally her efforts were paid off. To the left of the window laid the remains of a shelf of trophy racks of some kind, its contents partially buried under the shelves. Sifting through the broken bits of plexiglas, she came face to face with her first big find; a magnificent looking shotgun. Picking is up, she observed it, rolling it over in her hands.

      "The Conference Call, huh." Said name was printed (More like hastily scribbled in a white permanent marker) on the black barrel of the gun.

      "Maybe I'll keep you to myself. Been needin' an upgrade." Stringing the gun across her back she resumed her search.

      After sometime searching, she stood up and smirked, glad that she had come out of this with not only a bad ass looking shotgun but some unknown classified devices as well. _These will sell for a pretty penny on the market._ The scavenger, satisfied with her hunt, headed for the only way out when something caught out of the corner of her eye. The setting sun was glinting back at her off of a tiny object on the ground. Walking over to it she crouched down and gently picked it up by the wire.

  
      "Holy skag shit! An ECHO Eye! Hell I've always wanted one of those. Well, now I got one for free." Flashing a smug toothy grin, she dropped the implant into her pocket, and grabbing her bag of finds, left for the way she came.

 


	2. Striking a Deal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm guessing that Helios landed somewhere in the Dead Sands so not that far off from Sanctuary or where it used to be. I don't know if it's still there or not but someone gave me a hint that it flies so...yeah... Enjoy!

      Glad to have not only made it back to Sanctuary in one piece but with a bag full of possible cash as well, the scavenger let a small smile appear on her lips. Patting her pocket gently where the ECHO Eye was located she followed into a crowded road. Turning off into a secluded yet still recognizable side street she walked up to one of the scrappy looking buildings.

      Located in the shadows of its superiors (both figuratively and literally) "Trade Em' Up" was a less known business that accepted rare and peculiar items in exchange for cash. The building looked to be made out of every possible scrap of metal lying about with a rusted lopsided roof. Next to the entrance was a bright neon sight with the name "Trade Em' Up" in a large pink boxy font tied together with a light green border.

      The scavenger pulled on the rusty door receiving a tiny squeak from the hinges and entered the establishment. Unknown oddities lined the walls to the right on well made metal shelves while across from them elemental guns of all kinds were pinned to the left side. Next to the guns laid a large wooden counter that was not only where the entrepreneur would normally reside but also acted as a barricade to the 'Staff Only' door that was located behind it. Strolling up to the counter she leaned over and drummed her fingers on the surface. The counter was home to a couple of empty beer bottles pushed off to the corner as well as a brass bell located near the customer's side. Upon laying her hand on the service bell and giving it a few good smacks she backed up and shifted her weight on her feet. The staff door suddenly open inward. A dirty blond man holding a very large metal box emerged, pushing the door open with his feet as he walked through. The size of the box obscuring his view.

      “Hello and what are you interested in tra..."

      “Hey Lance. As direct as ever I see." The scavenger greeted cutting her friend off.

  
      "Oh it's you and the reason for my directness? Why bother with the small talk. People obviously come in here to trade something so why not just get to the point already." Lance was a tall man with a moderate build who spoke in a thick British accent. He had wild dirty blond hair that was, right now pulled back into a bun. He had a pencil beard that ran along his jawline and chocolate brown eyes.

      "You'll lose customers like that." She stated tilting her head and raising a brow.

      "I have my ways." He smiled back placing the large box on the floor beside the wooden counter. "So what brings you here this fine evening, m'lady?"

      "Oh nothing much just some classified Hyperion tech. No biggie." She turned around  
facing her back to him.

      "So you finally got around to getting down there, aye? I thought that place was picked clean 5 years ago."

      "Well apparently they didn't look very well." Turning around to face him once more she placed her bag on the counter and took out the three unknown projects.

      Letting out a long whistle Lance replied, "Those are some fine pieces of work." He leaned forward from behind the counter, giving the devices a closer look. His head suddenly shot up and giving the scavenger an excited grin asked "How much do you want for them?"  
“$5000."

      "Done!" Sticking his palm out over the Hyperion projects he waited waving his hand back and forth occasionally as if enticing her to finalize their deal. Sighing at his childish excitement she took his hand and set their deal in stone with a handshake.

      "My business is going to get so much attention thanks to these babies."

      "Well don't go spending it all in one place, big guy." Patting his shoulder she hoisted herself into a sitting position on the remaining counter space.

      "Hey do you still do cybernetic implants on the side?"

      "Hell yeah! It's the closest thing that I can get to engineering around here. Why do you ask?"

      “Oh I was just wondering if you could install this version 2.1 ECHO Eye for me."

      "You found an ECHO Eye?! Where? Where'd you find it?"

      “At Helios."

      “Ooo, so top notch quality then. Lucky bastard you."

      “Why thank you. Got any time to pop this sucker in?"

      "Yeah, no problemo, that one. I'll just call up Vin to cover while you get all comfy cozy in my evil lair in the back." Lance turned around to face the door, holding it open and gestured for her to go inside.

  
      "You're my knight in shining armour, Lancelot." She remarked waving at him slightly, taking her leave inside the back room.

      "Ha, I see what you did there." Closing the door behind her, the entrepreneur took a seat in a rough wooden stool behind the counter and proceeded to pull up Vin on the ECHO Coms.

      The staff room in the back of the store was large, every wall lined with shelves that homed extraordinary items that held too much value to be presented in the front. In an empty corner of the room laid an adjustable medical chair (similar to a dentist's) that had the option to be reclined.

  
      “All right let's see this quote on quote 'ECHO Eye'." Lance announced walking into the room, door slamming shut behind him.

      Gently plucking the device out of her pocket she handed it over to him. Holding it up to his face the blond man eyeballed the small trinket.

      “This is in amazing quality for something you just found. Are you sure you didn't steal it?"

      "Would it matter if I did?"

      "Nope! All the same to me. Anyway...the only thing your really missing is a good clean and the receiving port."

      “Receiving port?"

      "Yeah it's a device that's inserted right where your temple is connecting not only the ECHO Eye to the brain but also to the network that provides it with information. It all runs on electrical impulses in the brain. Technical you don't need it since it's actually another device that locks the eye in place but if you want info which is the whole entire point of the eye..."

      "I'll do it!" She abruptly interrupted. "Where can I find one?"

      "I have some right here." He said gesturing to a small box on one of the shelves. "Just sit down in that chair over there while I clean the parts for installation." Walking over to a table a little ways from the medical chair, Lance sat down pulling out some small tools and cleaning fluid from the drawer below it.

      The scavenger wandered to the large chair and took a seat, finishing in a hunched over pose of her twiddling her thumbs and staring at the back of Lance's head.

      "Not that I'd care or anything but is it really painful? Drilling into my temple I mean."

      "Oh very. I'm drilling into your optic nerve after all but don't worry I have some damn good anaesthetic. Trust me, I know first hand. Sometimes I take it when I just want to get out, ya know. Oh! By the way there's only one eye. Have you decided which one of your pretty green ones I shall be rudely ripping from it's home?" Turning around on his makeshift swivel chair the entrepreneur leaned forward, resting his face on his hands.

      "Is it side-ist to say that I prefer to have everything on the right?" She rhetorically replied slightly cocking her head to the side and giving a know-it-all grin.

  
      "Right eye it is." Strolling over to the back of chair he placed his hands on the headrest and pulled, reclining it back to more of a lounge chair position, her eyes following the man the whole way.

  
      "How much will this cost me?" She questioned, leaning her head back and looking up at him.

  
      "For you? Absolutely free. Think of it as on the house for how loyal you've been to my humble establishment. Now are you sure you want to do this?" Walking away from the chair the blonde retrieved a medical cart and wheeled it over. It's surface was covered with medical instruments including a syringe filled the anesthetic which was light purple in colour.

  
      “Hell yeah! Brave fear!" She cheered raising clenched fists in the air filled with energetic determination.

  
      "That's what I thought. Here we go." With these words he jabbed the needle into her upper arm and within a matter of seconds the scavenger couldn't tell what was up or down or even if her eyes were closed.

 


	3. First Name Basis

      Stirring from her slumber the scavenger slowly rolled over refusing to wake up from the best damn sleep she'd ever had. 

 

      "Hey, you're up. How are you feeling?" With that question she knew that there was no chance that she'd be returning to her peaceful state of drowsiness. Slowly she sat up trying to focus her eyes on the blurry lump that was situated at the foot of the cot. 

 

      "Hmm...what..who-oh. Lance, it's you." She mumbled raising her hand to rub her right eye. 

 

      "AHHhhh-bu-bu. No touching of any kind on or around your right eye and temple. It's still fresh and irritating it is not a good idea." Grabbing her right forearm with both hands he quickly pulled it down back to the cot. 

 

      As Lance's form began to become progressively clearer she noticed something very wrong. 

 

      "Lance. LANCE! Why am I blind? Why can't I see out of my right eye?!" Frantically running her hands through her ginger bangs she began to developed a slight difficulty breathing. 

 

      Raising his hands up and waving them around the blond repeatedly shook his head.

 

      "No. No. No nononono. You're-you're not blind! It's just off! Much like a lightbulb it requires power to turn on and since it was just plugged into your brain...oh about 2 hours ago it still requires more power. It's previous reserves were drained so it's waiting on your brain to send more electrical impulses to fill it back up and then it'll be on forever. Yay!"

 

      "Oh thank God. Hehe..." She folded her hands in her lap and and looked off to the side embarrassed. 

 

      "It's a perfectly reasonable reaction to waking up in a cot in the back room of a store owned by someone who doesn't even know your name. Is there by any chance that I'll get it?" 

 

      "Nope but nice try." Smiling she pushed the thin covers off of herself and threw her legs over the edge of the bed.

 

      Lance stood up from the cot and took a couple steps back. "Hey you should take a break. At least until the eye powers on."

 

      "You know I can't do that. I'm a busy gal." She stood up and raised her arms above her head in a stretch. "Gotta mirror? I'd like to take a peek before I hit the road." 

 

      "Yeah right here." Walking towards his work desk he picked up a small hand held mirror. Dirt caked the angles of where the frame met the smooth reflective surface. Turning around he handed it to her. Receiving it she held it up to her face and observed the image the best she could with only one eye. Her orange bangs parted on the right and curved down to frame the sides of her face, stopping at around her eyes. The remaining was pulled back into a loose braid that ended at her shoulder blades. Her face was sharp and rough around the edges most likely the cause of painful memories. Her eyebrows were sharp being accompanied by slight bags under her eyes. A scar ran from the very inner tip of her right brow, across her nose stopping at about the left side of her upper lip. Light freckles dotted her face. The data port was placed in her right temple and the ECHO Eye remained a dull blue. The eye stared dead ahead unable to move in sync with its companion due to a lack of sufficient power. The skin around both the port and eye were a bit pink, sore from surgery. 

 

      "You did an amazing job Lance. Thanks." She lowered the mirror and looked at the blond giving his a genuine smile. "Well I'd love to stay and chat but I've gotta head out. Places to go, people to see." Handing the mirror back to him she began making her way to the door stopping to look back just before she opened it. "Oh and don't forget the $5000 in my account or they'll find your dead corpse in an alley." She gave him a death stare yet still with the same polite smile as before. With that she open the door and walked out leaving a anxious entrepreneur in the staff room.

 

_

 

      Once passed the gates that lead into the refuge she began to think things over. "There's something so off about that guy. I don't know if it's that he's too much of a pussy or what. Bugs me every time." Leaning on the Catch a Ride station on the outskirts of Sanctuary she began to look around at the scenery. The plains and valleys below were dusted with a light layer of fresh snow though none was falling at the moment. _I guess I'll just walk around until my eye turns on and I'll hop on a truck at the nearest stop or fast travel._ Pushing herself off of the pole she trekked forward, away from the settlement. Prepared for the cold she started making her way in the direction of the Caustic Caverns.

 

      Her journey so far was overall mostly sightseeing with a few close calls from bandits. With her reclaimed "Conference Call" they were no match for her and her determination to wait out her eye. About half way between points A and B it finally happened. The ECHO Eye turned on. 

 

      "Yes! Finally!" She cheered, balling her hands into fists practically shaking from excitement. "Let's try this baby out!" 

 

      Jogging over to a rotting bullymong corpse that she spotted a little ways away she started to calm herself down to prepare for what she was about to do.

 

      "Alright let's scan this thing." She stood there staring at the corpse for a good 10 seconds. _Something is suppose to happen. Why isn't anything happening? Isn't something suppose to come up on my HUD or something?_ Just when she turned away and was starting to regret shoving a piece of equipment that she just found lying around into her head she saw something. In the middle of her vision there was a fuzzy blue glitching. _The hell?_ Taking a few steps back the pixels stayed in place, seemingly locked into the physical plane. The blur grew and the slight outline of a man formed. The blue glitched flickered giving the figure a holographic form. A high pitched squeal noise that cracked in and out began to rise. As quick as he appeared he began to move, lunging at the scavenger wildly waving his arms around as if trying to grab something. The loud noise merging into rational words.

 

      "Nnnnn-nnnaaahho! No! You're fucking DEAD Rhys! I'm gunna strangle you till your eye pops out of your dumb ass head! You'll be... wh-wait. What? Who...who the hell are you?" Stopping short of his movement a couple of feet away the man stared, perturbed.

 

      "Umm..." The cold wind whipped by freezing her shocked expression in place. 

 

      "You know what, I don't care. Do you know where a tall lanky guy with a stupid looking hair cut is? Has a small dick, thinks he's good enough to level with the CEO of a million dollar company, got the arm strength of a toddler. Ringing any bells in that hollow head of yours?" He questioned, tapping the side of his head when he voiced the last point.

 

      "Umm...uhh...d-does he have a...a cybernetic arm on...on his right side?" She stuttered, all remains of logical thought coming to a halt at the sight of a flustered holographic man that came out of absolutely nowhere. 

 

      "Yeah! Yeah. Robo arm with a blue...ECHO...Eye..." The holo's voice dropping off at the sudden realization, his body sagging. _He doesn't have it anymore. He pulled it out. I shouldn't be here. **She** has it._  

 

      Regaining her composure she managed to string together a response. "Well...uh...its ah...its not blue. It's actually yellow. He was the CEO of Atlas." 

 

      His previous attitude returned to him in an instant even more fiery than before. "WHAT!? That worm thinks he can steal my stuff and get away with it? How brain dead is he?" 

 

      "Alright where'd he put the headquarters? Old Haven? It's gotta be Old Haven. He can't put it anywhere else. Ha, he's got no cash. Alright let's go. Well think of a plan on the way but that scumbag is gunna die." The hologram turned east and started walking in that direction. Confusion crossed her face as her eyes followed his leisurely steps. A single thought entered her mind; _How the hell does he even know which way he's going?_

 

      Turning around when he realized she wasn't following he pressed his command more, a slight tone rising in his voice. "Let's get a move on, kiddo. We don't have all day. More so you."

 

      "Wait. Wait! Two issues with this. Number one; what do you mean by we? An-"

 

      "Well unfortunately I'm not talking about the royal we. You and me, cupcake. I can't go anywhere without you and you're stuck with me so better get comfy." Cutting her off and getting waaayyyy too close for comfort. He leaned forward giving her a raised eyebrow and a shit eating grin. 

 

      "What? How am I stuck with you? Your projection will just die away at some point." Furrowing her eyebrows she took a step back, regaining her personal space. 

 

      "Oh my go...I'm in your head, dumb dumb! The ECHO Eye, I'm in that. I'm in your head. I CAN'T LEAVE. Now come on. Let's get aaahhhh movin'...or I'll make your life a living hell." He casually stated the last part as if it was an everyday thing for him.

 

      "We can't go to Old Haven!" She yelled, frustrated at her inferiority in the situation.

 

      "And why not!" He shot back nearly as aggressively.

 

      "Rhys is dead! The CEO of Atlas died 3 year ago when a large group of raiders and psychos finally got enough men together to overrun the place, taking everything and killing everyone. The man your looking for is already dead." She spit out releasing a breath of air she didn't know she was holding in.

 

      "...Well that...really...blows. I was looking forward to taking revenge for crashing my company and space station. Now that that's gone I...I don't really have...have anything to do...now." Swinging his arms back and forth he swayed from the balls of his feet to his heels. His eyes looked around the snowy plains avoiding eye contact with the scavenger in front of him. 

 

      "Your 'company'? 'Space station'? What are you talking about? Who are you?" Her mass amount of confusion was evident on her face. 

 

      "I'm Jack! Handsome Jack. Leader of Hyperion, well used to be now. You getting anything?" His expression becoming increasingly annoyed when his words invoked no reaction. 

 

      "I tried to destroy Pandora. THE Handsome Jack."

 

      Picking up on the hologram's demeanour the ginger responded pretty accurately. "You know calling yourself that isn't going to get me to recognize you nor is it making you any less of an arrogant dick." 

 

      "I own a pony made out of diamonds. Diamonds!" He was beginning to lose it. The sheer fact that someone didn't know who in the world he was shook him to the core.

 

      "Ooohhh you take care of Butt Stallion? I've heard tons about her." She gave a small smile relieved to have heard something familiar.

 

      "You've heard about my horse...but you haven't heard about me? Where have you been living?!"

 

      "Hey I was off world a lot in my teens. I'm sorry that I didn't give two skags about what politics were going on in Pandora." The memories of her youth resurfaced lacing her voice with venom. 

 

      "Whatever. Whatever! I'm Handsome Jack, past leader of Hyperion and previous billionaire. Now you know me. Since we're going to be stuck with each other we might as well get on a first name basis so...what's your name, pumpkin."

 

      "I don't give out my name especially to some random A.I I just met." Crossing her arms she gave him a furious glare.

 

      "Uh huh. Well ya know that I can just look for your name in your head myself, right? I can view all of your thoughts if I really wanted to but since you and I are on SUCH good terms I bet you wouldn't mind if I just gave it a little peek." The hologram's form started to flicker in and out slightly.

 

      "NO!...No...I'll tell you, all right. Jeez. It's Questra, Okay?" Upon saying it his flickering stopped and a stupid grin spread across his face.

 

      "If it was anymore ridiculous I would've laughed."


	4. Surprise Guests

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay guys. I'm now officially going to try my absolute best to update on the weekends.

     "Questra...Questra...Questra. Questra. Questra!" He annunciated slowly saying the name each time in a different tone.

     "Would you cut that out! I hate it." Crossing her arms the scavenger continued to sulk fed up with the fact that she had to spill the beans to this digital douche. She proceeded with trudging her way to the fast travel located at the Caustic Caverns.

     "It just seems so uniquely stupid." He seamlessly followed behind continuing to pester her.

     "Can't you just go away somewhere?"

     "Oh I can but it can get quite boring when you can create whatever you want on a digital plain and I've been doing that for...oh... How long did you say it was?"

     "10 years?" She replied in a tone that seemed like she was absolutely done with life.

     "Yeah that long. So I'd rather stay here, thanks." Jack crossed his arms and smirked receiving a deadly sneer in return. "What are you so pissed off about, Quessie."

 _I swear if he was real I'd snap his fuckin neck like a stick._ "Other than the fact that I had to tell my secret to an A.I inside my head?"

     "Well it wasn't much of a sec..."

     "I'm also stuck with him and an ECHO Eye that doesn't even work!"

     Scoffing at her, he corrected her statement. "Oh it works, you just haven't used it properly yet. Come on. Turn around and look at me." Questra turned and gave him a gaze that read 'Bitch, please'. "Now I'll put this into words that you can understand. LOOK. THINK OBJECT. SEE STATS." He received an eye roll from the scavenger for his slow yet loud instructions. "Focus on me, kiddo" With a sigh she took in his pixelated blue frame. "Like whatcha see?"

     Turning away at the fact that Jack just dared to pull that shit, she let out an exasperated sigh. "Uuughghhhh!"

     "Oh come on, Quess. Can't take a little joke? Try again." Her gazed landed back on him. "Now think 'Handsome Jack' then close your eyes and open them back up. You should hear or feel a little click in your brain when it turns on." She did as she was told.

_*click*_

     Upon opening her eyes she refocused on the holo causing a menu to pop up on her left (Jack's right). It read:

**Jack-apedia  
**

**Handsome Jack AI**

  
Sup, babe. It's me. Your main man. The hero. The Jack of your dreams. Often imitated, never matched. It's okay to be attracted to me. It's fine, I get it. Honestly, I'd be more weirded out if you weren't. See, the thing about me is **[ERROR: stack overflow. Too much text exceeding allotted buffer. Truncated message follows]** \-- omega boner.

     "Uhh...you know what? I find your narcissism slightly entertaining. It's kinda hilarious how self centred you are."

     "I see I've hooked you in already."

     "So all I get are entries from you. Well it's better than nothing...I guess." Shrugging her shoulders they neared the fast travel. Feeling slightly annoyed that he was being ignored he floated by, lying on his side in a seductive pose (Yes, Jack can float. It's cannon.)

     "So what are you anyway? An bandit? A psycho? I mean you must be nuts for shoving a random eye in your noggin." He received a simple response.

     "I'm a scavenger." Walking up to the fast travel station she began to tap on the screen.

     "Isn't that pretty much the same thing? Ruthless scum of Pandora?" Moving his way around to the back of the station he stuck his head through the device, face poking out of the screen startling the heck out of Questra.

     "Gaaahh!" Flinching back from the device she attempted to wave his face away with her hand. If Jack was there and not a hologram she would have slapped him multiple times in the nose instead of just going through it.

     "You know if anyone else was here you'd look like a complete idiot." Walking through the station and half of her arm he resumed his standing position beside her. The ginger shivered a bit.

     "Th- there is a difference! I keep to myself, take stuff that I find. Sure I'll kill someone if need be but honestly I don't really care. There's no purpose for life anyway." Resting her palm on the screen she bowed her head closing her eyes.

     "Wo-oah. Someone's a little depressed. Is there a reason for that?"

     She remained in her hunched over position, unmoving. "I don't want to talk about it."

     "Oookkkkaaayyyyy, maybe later." Floating on his back he scooted between her legs so he was looking up at her face. "So, where are we going, kiddo." Opening her eyes the scavenger realize where he was. Quickly stepping over him as if he were actually there she stood up straight feeling startled and very embarrassed.

     "We're-" She took a deep breath "We're going to Hollow Point. I need Janey to help me fix my boots." The scavenger lifted up her right foot and tapped the pack near the bottom of her footwear.

     "Wait, who?" Jack responded with a confused yet curious tone.

     "Janey. She's the new mechanic that took over Catch a Ride after Scooter passed. Shes from Elpis, has wicked burns on her left side."

     "Awe shit." Jack shuffled his feet, turning to face the snow behind them, not at all excited to see the blond again.

     Questra continued to select the location, not looking back at him. "Yeah, she's married to Athena."

     "WHAT?!" Before the AI could even turn around the confirmation button was already pressed and they were digitized to Hollow Point.

-

     The rust covered door to Trade Em' Up was forcefully thrown open, receiving a loud BANG from hitting the outside wall. The small subtle store was the exact way it was earlier that day aside from the mystery devices that were removed and placed with the rest of the valuables in the back room. Two large burly men walked in standing shoulder to shoulder creating a wall of sorts blocking the main entrance. They parted making way for a tall lean woman, who only levelled with their shoulders (and she was pretty damn tall). She strode up to the wooden desk at the front, her lapdogs tailing behind her.

     "Ring-a-ding, ding! Can I get some service or not?" She proceeded to press the bell over and over until the back staff door opened.

     Walking over, Lance rested his hands on the counter leaning slightly overtop of the wooden furnishing. Faltering a bit when he spotted the two large men he offered the three a greeting.

     "Welcome to Trade Em' Up. What are you interested in-"

     The blond was abruptly cut off as his face was slammed into the wooden surface. A large meaty hand gripped the back of his neck, pinning him down. One of the bodyguards had advanced on the entrepreneur while the other remained where he stood behind the slim woman. She leaned over top of his struggling body.

     "Hheeeeeyyyyyaaa buddy!" Her tone seemed to fluctuate with every syllable. "A little birdie told me that you had an extra special item slip through your grasps recently." She placed her head on the counter staring back at him with crazed eyes.

     "I-I-I d-don't know anything. Bus-business has been slow all-all day." Averting his gaze from her he tried to look anywhere else.

     "Oh but you do know something! Maybe I could get Crumbs over there to crack your pretty head open and show us." She gestured toward the large brute behind her who began to crack his knuckles, letting a light smirk graze his lips.

     "Ahh...AHHHH! Alright! Alright! Lady, they're in the back on my workbench! Go ahead! Take them! Please! Just-just don't hurt me!" He squirmed harder under the second man's grip, panic clear in his voice. _I don't want to die like this! I want to die bathing in money and rare shit!_

     "Hmm. Pushover. Crumbs, with me. Meat Head...watch blondie here." She strode around the counter toward the staff door with Crumbs in tow. Meat Head turned and gave a small nod in return. She thumbed the door indicating that she wanted her bodyguard to go first. Crumbs stepped into the room looking around and nodded back to his employer moving to the side to allow her to enter.

     The woman began to look around, gazing over the shelves of items. "Alright, Crumbs...look for the device."

     The goon grunted a "Yes ma'am." in response and proceeded to lurch around the room. His movements eventually lead him toward the entrepreneur's workbench which housed multiple strange devices.

     "Uh miss?"

     "Yes Crumbs, what is it?" She turned around with a fire pistol in her hand, her long nails lightly skimming over the trigger.

     "I found the bench." The woman did a little speed skip over to the table and shifted her eyes back and forth over it.

     "Thank you, Crumbs. You know...you'll always be my favourite. I can trust you with aaaannnyyyttthhhiiinnnggg." She placed her hand on his stubbly jaw and slid it down to his chin. Lifting her hand off she booped his nose turning her attention toward the projects on the desk. The bodyguard blushed slightly quickly shaking it off and returned to helping his boss. Shifting the devices around she furrowed her thick brows at the sight.

     "It's not here. It's not here! He lied! Crumbs! Take these as collateral and we'll teach that petty blond a lesson about hiding things from us." She strode towards the door swinging her hips as her goon tailed with the three strange devices. She gripped the handle and aggressive pulled causing the door to slam against the inside wall. The sound reverberated around the building. The woman's eyes landed upon the squirming man, rage emanating from every part of her.

     "Oh blondie boy.~ Looks like someone didn't tell the big bad people where the device was." She slammed her clenched fist on the counter just an inch away from Lance's nose. "WHERE IS IT?!" The fury in her eyes flared and he swore he saw a flicker of fire in them.

     The mans voice was laced thick with panic as he shot out his response. "But I-I told you where they where! All three of them! There right there on my workbench!"

     Crumbs passed in front of the entrepreneur's face, devices in hand.

     "See! They're right there! You-you have them! Please, take them and leave me alone!" He stuttered pulling a nervous smile.

     She snapped, her rage evident in her words. "WHERE IS THE EYE?!"

     "Oh! Oh, d-do you mean the ECHO Eye? It's-its blue?"

     "YES! Where did you put it?" She spat out the final two words attempting to calm herself down from her outburst.

     "I-I don't have it!"

     She quirked her eyebrow in amusement. "Well boys, looks like we're going to have to get our hands dirty."

     "Wait! Wait! I said I don't have it! Some woman came in and asked for it to be implanted! I don't have it! Please, let me go!" Tears started to settle in his eyes as he continued to flail, whimpering nonsense about other things that weren't even related to the situation at hand.

     "What's...her...name?" She offered a crooked smile that came with a twitch in her left eye.

     "See that's the problem because I don't...really...know." He was re-slammed into the counter when they were unamused by his reply.

     "N-no one knows her name! B-but I installed a receiving port along with the eye. I could...I could connect to the network and track her movements." There was a long pause as the tall woman thought over what he had proposed. Her long fingers tapped against the bottom of her chin as she contemplated the events. Walking towards the door with Crumbs she motioned for Meat Head to follow. Pulling Lance from the table the brute shoved him out from behind the counter blocking his path back to the staff room.

     "M'kay blondie, your comin' with us and you're gunna track that eye so we don't blow your brains out all over the floor. Ya got that?" She looked back at him with a cocked head and sinister smirk before reaching for the exit.

     "G-gotcha just...gunna call my mate Vince to watch the sto-" Before he could finish he was pushed forward causing him to stumble a bit. "Or not! That's-that's okay." Lance continued to awkwardly smile as he was lead out of the establishment ordering from Crumbs, the woman, himself, and then Meat Head.


	5. Two Steps Back

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay...again. Exams are coming up and I haven't had a lot of time to work on this but I will try to get something out once a week. Hopefully one day I will correct it to being on the weekends.

      The lights from the cavern's structures shone in the darkness warding off any vial creatures that dared to lurk in the black shadows. Hollow Point was truly magnificent when not viewing it for its less than friendly residents or elevating crime rate. It was a prosperous location for new businesses due to the large amount of people who tended not to leave the confines of the cave. Some just wanted something new without having to venture from the fortress of rock and into the dangerous landscape of the outside world. You could run into bandits caked in crusty blood, obnoxious CL4P-TP units who's voices grate on your eardrums, or even asshole AIs who won't leave you the hell alone.

      Echoing off of the walls of the twists and turns of the various streets a one sided conversation could be heard as if someone was talking out loud to themselves. The source of the voice was a short red haired woman who kept glancing over her shoulder yelling obscenities at thin air. To anyone outside of her she'd appear to be a lunatic ranting on about footwear and floating but the truth was her converser was directly behind her, fed up with the fact that she wasn't listening to a single word he said.

      "No! No. Hey kid, you can't go in there." Jack paced frantically behind the scavenger as she weaved through the narrow streets and obstacles that blocked her path. "I mean who needs rocket boots anyway. You look like a idiot with them on and OH-HO-HO...BOY do you have big feet."

      "You know that your comments are only fuelling my actions, right?" Looking back over her shoulder she saw Jack with a very unamused frown on his face due to the rhetorical question.

      "Look I got a piece of skag meat mucking up the thruster and I need help prying it out. I would ask you but it's not like you're real or that you'd lend a hand anyway." With a slightly discouraging face she redirected her attention to avoiding the shin level hazards that littered the cave floor. She would not have a repeat of the badass skag accident. _Why does their shit have to be so large?_ She gripped her left bicep, trying to rub away the pain and humiliation that bubbled up inside of her.

      "I'm just saying, these guys, nun uh." He waved his hand back and forth near his neck, sending pixels flying off in different directions. "They're no good, alright. They...they wouldn't be able to change the tires...on a bike." His snickering made him choke out the last part.

      "It's been 10 year so how would you know." Her snide remark earned an eye twitch from Jack. "And do you even know how to change one yourself?" She struck a chord with that comment.

      "YES, pumpkin! I do!" He retorted, his short temper evident in the amount of time since the discussion started. Crossing his arms the hologram jerked his head to the debris on the ground, studying his foot falls. Unlike his companion he could just step right through them.

      Questra halted her quick steps turning around to face the digital sulking man. "Why don't you want me to go there? Are you just pissing me off or is it something else?" Her patience was already stretched. She didn't want to deal with his incessant babbling.

      The man's gaze remained on his sneakers completely invested in throwing a silent temper tantrum. Her questions were met with the quiet hum of whips of wind blowing into the large cavern.

      "Huh? Anything?" Her impatience caused her to raise her tone on the last question. The only change in Jack's demeanour was that of him attempting to kick a rock which lead to his shoe passing right thought it.

      "Jack!" Lifting his head up slightly he shifted his gaze to Quess revealing the flicker of fury in his eyes.

      "We have a bad history." He spat through clenched teeth.

      "Well suck it up. Janey is the only person I know who's a genius with rockets. Whatever history you had with her, put it behind you because it's been over 10 years." Rounding a corner the large sign labeled 'Scooter's' came into view, the garage visible at the end of the makeshift road.   
  
      "She's not the one I'm worried about." He spoke under his breath too quiet for Questra to quite here. She shrugged it off taking to thinking that it was just Jack mumbling about the situation.

      "Listen, just don't tell them I'm here. Mkay, cupcake?" He tried to lighten his tone to get her to appeal to his request.

      With a defeated sigh she breathed out a 'whatever' and arrived at the open garage door of the business.

      Ever since Scooter sacrificed himself 10 years ago Janey had made it her duty to make Scooter's garage and Catch-A-Ride the best it could possibly be. She'd expanded the garage's general audience by opening up to rocket powered vehicles and aircrafts. Her extensive knowledge in the field of rocket science had allowed the business to become more profitable then ever. Scooter would've been proud. But the new found attention lead to her being able to spend little, if any, time with her wife. In order to fix that Athena proposed that Janey teach her auto mechanics so at least they'd be spending time together while they worked. Since Janey refused to let Athena continue with her bounty/vault hunting ways she'd thought that this was a good make up attempt for lying to her about being involved in the whole Gortys Project thing. Eventually she picked up the trade and the couple were an unstoppable team with Janey working on anything rocket based and Athena doing the mechanics.

      The garage was littered with brand new contraptions and devices thanks to the steady amount of cash that the new gimmick raked in. Two platforms just inside the building allowed one to digistruct a vehicle which was easier that trying to drive it through the narrow streets. The town provided too many sharp turns and blockades to allow anyone to use a vehicle within it. To the right was an open work space with large workbenches and tables lining the walls. When one viewed the inside as a whole it seemed that the left side was dedicated to vehicles while the right side was to anything that required rocket fuel.

      Questra peered inside and rapped on the large metal frame of the garage door making it loud enough to to be heard throughout the building.

      "Hello? Is anyone here?" She remained where she stood by the entrance, waiting for a response while Jack just strolled right in. Questra rolled her eyes at his disregard for others, mouthing a silent 'Really?' and followed suit. He strolled along the shelves and storage containers lining the walls shoving his head inside the closed boxes to satisfy his curiosity.

      "You know we're gunna get our teeth kicked in for snooping, right?" _Well, more mine anyways._ She remained put in the middle of the garage. The ginger was not ready to have here life ended by two ex-vault hunters.

      "And you know that there's $500 dollars in here?" His rhetorical question echoed loudly around the small loot container that he currently had his head jammed in.

      "Ooo really?" With a tone of high interest she advanced on the box that Jack yanked his head out of. Before she could place her gloved hands on the cold surface there was a shout from a secluded area of the shop.

      "I'll be right there just give me a second." The response wasn't laced with an Elpis accent which meant that it was Athena, not Janey, that was currently the only mechanic in the auto shop. Too bad today was a slow work day.

      _Shit. SHIT!_ Quess panicked and back away from the possible loot in the metal box that Jack indicated. She could hear Athena shifting around behind the scenes, finishing up her project. _But is there actually stuff in the box?!_ Activating her ECHO Eye she decided to take a quick peek to see if the AI was lying about the cash.

 

      A menu popped up on her left, hilighting the container.

**Jack-apedia**

**Loot Container**

**Contents:** Sweet muns Hun ($500 to be exact)

**Accessibility:** Who leaves this out in the open? I mean I would because I'm rich but them?

**Side Notes:** I bet you feel pretty stupid for not going for the cash when I told ya. Doesn't bug me cuz I literally have no concept of money anymore but for you...ooo that's gotta hurt.

      _Fuck! I should've gone for it._ She let out a large groan followed by a loud smack on her forehead. Her actions were halted by quick boot falls entering the large open floor of the garage.

     "Sorry to keep you waiting...Janey isn't here at the moment so what can I do for you?"  
The ex-vault hunter stepped into view, her arms loosely crossed over her chest.

      Athena was wearing a tight fit dark grey sports t-shirt with some wear and tear mostly around the sleeves and shoulders. Accompanying her top were her usual bluish brown pants adorned with white stripes on the side. Her red armoured boots were swapped for dark grey combats that seemed more appropriate for the field of work that she was now in.

      Letting out all of her frustrations through a quick sigh, Questra proceeded to ask about what she came there for. "Um, I'm here about my rocket boots. They conked out and I can't seem to get them working." Her annoyance at the fact that the person she needed wasn't here began to show through. "They're rocket based so...what do I do?" Shrugging the last part out with a hint of repugnance, she directed her attention toward Jack who was now making his way toward Athena.

      He let out a long whistle. "Still lookin' sexy for her age. Kinda reminds me of Moxxi but in a less slutty way." He let a smile dance on his lips as he stood some feet away, observing her.

      If the dangerous woman noticed her apparent customer seemingly looking at nothing, she gave no mind. After all, this world is full of crazy psychos who scream about meat bicycles and poop trains. Someone looking at thin air? Practically normal.

      Athena brushed off her sass like it was business as usual and responded in a semi-cheery voice. "Yeah, she's out on some errands. She won't be back for a couple of hours but you could drop the boots off on the work bench over there if you like. We have some extra shoes in the back for these situations. You could leave them here and then we'll give you a call when they're ready."

      Weighing out her options she decided to take the offer. _The less we have to be here, the less complaining I get from Jack._

      The mechanic pointed toward the corner of the garage where they had some boxes and lockers stashed away for substitute boots. Taking off her own she placed them on the table indicated and made her way over to the stash of footwear. _God, I hope that they're not gross._ The cardboard boxes were crudely label with permanent marker indicating the sizes of each section and for what gender.

      "Alright, 9s. Look for women's 9s." Moving the deformed boxes around she searched for her desired shoe size. Crammed in the far back was said size with only one pair of dark brown combat boots contained in it. _Beggars can't be choosers._ She pulled the pair of boots out and plopped down on the somewhat clean cement floor. Lacing the boots up was surprisingly easy and they fit pretty damn well too. The scavenger paced around the secluded little corner, wiggling her feet back and forth inside the footwear. When she was happy that everything was nice and secure she began to make her way back over to Athena.

      "Hey, I think-" Her words fell short when her eyes fell upon Jack.

      Athena was somewhat in the same spot she was in save for the fact that she took a few steps closer to the door to inspect some rust that had seemed to form on it. The AI was directly behind her, shoving his hands though her breasts.

      "JACK!" Questra screeched at the top of her lungs which lead to her gaining a lot of attention very fast.

      Jack remained in the position he was in and gave her a look that resembled a teenage boy that just had sex for the first time. He held a mischievous stare accompanied by a smug grin plastered on his face. Athena, on the other hand, stiffened at the name and snapped her head toward her. The ex-vault hunter advanced on the shorter woman, passing through Jack's hands and stopping short just a few feet.

      "What...did you just say?" Her tone was dangerously low causing Quess to grow increasingly more aware of where the only exit was. Her only response was the noise of her attempting to swallow the lump in her throat. Athena's eyes flicked up to the ECHO Eye and then the port on her temple. It reminded her all too much of her past and she wanted no part in it.

      "Look, I don't want you or HIM here. Get out, now." She pointed aggressive toward the garage door and the city that lied beyond it.

      Completely confused, the scavenger tried to respond to what had just happened. "Uhh-"

      "Now!" Her command echoed throughout the room sending chills down the ginger's spine. Speed walking toward the exit she realized that she probably wasn't moving quick enough because the next thing she knew she was shoved out into the street. Stumbling a little Questra turned back only to see the sliding garage door be slammed against the ground and locked shut.

      She approached the door and gave a light knock against the metal blockade. "Can I at least have my boots back?" She hopped that this trip wouldn't result in being one step forward, two steps back.

      "You can keep those." And with that the lights outside of the building were shut off leaving the short woman in complete darkness. _Two steps back._

      Jack's body emerged through the metal door and emanated a glow that somewhat lit up the outside street.

      "Well you fixed your little boot problem. Lookin' good by the way." His remark went over her head as she remained standing completely still, dumbfounded in the middle of the road. "Now, we finished your little 'side quest'. Can we get to more pressing matters and deal with MY needs?" He pressed his request, stressing the word 'my' a little too much.

      "Huh?" Checking back into reality she realized that the hologram had been talking to her. He continued his ranting, completely oblivious to the fact that she didn't pick up on his questions.

      "I had a body double back when I was alive. He ran off quite a long time ago and we haven't been able to locate him since. Finally took up his calling of being the coward that he is, seems like he's pretty damn good at it too. Now what WE have to do is find him so I can make sure that he didn't do anything stupid to ruin my image and that he catches me up to speed about everything that has happened in the past decade. Okay, pumpkin?"

      "Wh-why can't I catch you up to speed?" Feeling slightly offended she tried to focus her view somewhere else so he wouldn't notice her struggle.

      "Because I don't see you having an obsession with recording everything digitally. That kid was weird even before he got on the Hyperion team." Jack muttered the last part more to himself which earned him a pair of furrowed eyebrows and a slight frown.

      "Other than being your host, what's the point in me going? What do I get out of this?" Crossing her arms over her chest she returned her gaze to him.

      "If he's dead you can take all of his crud. Yay! Trust me he has some pretty good stuff, some of which were designed by yours truly. Besides I don't see you having anything else to do. Heh...what did you even do when I wasn't here?" He attempted to give her a shoulder nudge which ended up just going through her. "Whoops..." He tried to shrug off forgetting that he wasn't solid by smoothing his hair back into place.

     A sadness ran through Quess, making her grow quiet. She took a couple strides over to a cinder block and sat down. Her shoulders sagged as she hunched forward, trying to shield herself away from the world with her bangs.

      "Ugh with this again. Look, kiddo, since we're going to be, dare I say it, 'partners' I don't want to have you breaking down every time someone says something about your past life. Beef up and tell me what your problem is already...you're kinda bumming me out with your whole depressed atmosphere."

      All the scavenger could see were the past CEO's pixelated shoes as she stared at the ground. Taking a heavy sigh she looked up and was greeted by Jack with his arms crossed and a face that was starting to look slightly fed up.

      "I want revenge...revenge...for my kid." She was met with silence so she took it as her cue to further explain. Her gaze shifted down to the latches on his vest, feeling very awkward to finally be telling someone her tale.

      "My child was burnt in front of my eyes by bandits...My sweet baby girl." She started to sniffle, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes. Intrigued, Jack laid on his side floating generally around her eye level with one eyebrow raised.

      "She was only 12 months...Ever since that day I've never stopped thinking about her or how nothing we do in this world really matters. I've tried to track down the bandits that took her from me but I came up empty handed. There's just no point anymore and I'm SICK of wearing this stupid mask! You wouldn't understand...how could you." She buried her face in her hands trying to hide her emotions, trying to wear a false expression.

      For a long time Jack was silent. He knew exactly how she felt because he'd been through the same when his Angel was ripped from his hands. He'd put on a show because he didn't want anyone to know how truly hurt he was.

      The AI turned upright, crossing his legs and loosely rested his arms on his knees. "Ummm...Hey! How about on our way there we raid some bandit camps, huh?"

      All he received was a glossy glance from red puffy eyes.

      "Stuff happens, kiddo. A lot of stuff. Tons of people have pasts that they rather not talk about and that's fine. But you don't just sit down and roll over because you hit a dead end. You man up and fight through it." He shook his clenched fist in the air, emphasizing his point on 'toughening up'. She responded with a sniffle followed by an arm raising to rub her nose.

      "Just...relax a bit. Be yourself. I don't want you failing me when it hasn't even been a full day."

      "Is the-*sniff*-is the offer still open?" Her lips cracked into a small smile that seemed to brighten up the alley slightly.

      "Hell yeah! Let's go blow some bandit scum off the face of the earth!" He stood up straight and fist pumped like an over excited child which earned a small laugh from the woman. Rising to her feet she began to walk toward the mouth of the cave, Jack floating after her. The two were off to go relieve some stress with a good ol' fashion shoot em' up.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heads Up!
> 
> -Janey and Athena have now been married for 9 years but are on the fence about adopting a child due to their 'vacations' that they tend to take every once and awhile. (They'll take 2-3 weeks off to perform dangerous acts. Athena is kind of an adrenaline junkie.)
> 
> -Questra child died 4 years ago which meant that she was 23 when her baby was born.
> 
> -When Jack refers to a day he's referring to the full Pandoran 90 hours.


	6. Drinking Games

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually wanted to get some plot going in this chapter but it would've taken me longer to write and it would've been really long. I've opted to have a shorter chapter instead and actually update it after two weeks rather than make you guys wait longer.  
> Once exams are over my updating scheduled will be back on track to once a week.

      The loud CRACK from a modified shotgun rang through the air that smelt of stale blood. The buckshot sliced through the tough skins of the targeted bandits, littering them with unfixable holes. Eight whole shots were fired before the weapon had to be reloaded. The wielder bent down and picked up the loot that the previously living victims had held. Scanning the area for any remaining threats the killer ejected the shotgun clip and tossed it away, digistructing another from thin air. They fumbled with the clip as they attempted to jam it back into the gun, attention directed over their shoulder. Whipping their head around they gave one last try to reloading which resulted in the object slipping from their hand and landing in the puddle of blood below. The crimson liquid jumped up and splashed over brown combat boots.

 

      "Fuck!" An angered shout rang through the now ghost town of the bandit camp.

 

      "Quessie, language. We really gotta work on that potty mouth of yours." Jack was sitting on an overhanging walkway, looking down on the steaming scavenger below.

 

      "Listen here. You invited me to this to let loose my stress and inner turmoil so HERE I AM! DOING THE DO! I don't want you and your perfectly kept quaffage keeping me away from my destiny."

 

      After their little 'feels' session in the street outside of Scooter's garage someone decided to stop by a nearby bar to just have one drink to 'forget her woes'. The Purple Skag wasn't half bad for a drinking house owned by low-lives, at least that's what the AI believed. Everyone who actually lived in the town of Hollow Point viewed it as a place of relaxation and of high value. When Questra sat down at a stool in the front Jack believe that she could be mistaken as one of the regulars, both in looks and drinking habits. He couldn't say for sure how many shots of gin she took. He stopped paying attention at around the 9th one.

 

      The AI chuckled lightly to himself. "Oh my god...heh...You're gunna be so hammered later. Hah! I'm pissing myself just thinking about it." He looked down on the short woman who was staring back at him with squinted eyes, the morning sun blinding her.

      A rosy blush grazed her cheeks blending in nicely with the freckles that were scattered along her face. He felt sort of like a parent looking down at a rebellious teen. From this angle she looked kinda...cute.

 

      "You get yer cowardly pixel ass down heeer and I'll show you ho-w eh...how a...what was I talking about?"

 

      "My ass?"

 

      "Yes! Get er down here so I can...SMACK it!" Her voice was slurred but the command was strong.

 

      "Since when do I turn down an offer like that." Floating from his overhead perch he landed in front of her swaying form bending slightly over showing off his rear. "Make it sting, pumpkin." His seductive tone flew right over her head as she wound her arm back to make him feel the pain. A maniacal grin spread across his face as he prepared for what was about to happen.

 

      Bringing her open palm down her arm went right through him causing her to stumble. The momentum brought her face right through his butt and into the bloody sand below. Jack just floated there clutching his stomach, laughing his ass off.

 

      "Oh my- *WHEEZE* You actually...ha...actually fell for it! Whew! You're a freakin' idiot! I should get you like this more often." Coughing out his words between fits of laughter, he grabbed at his face.

 

      Quess slowly started to lift herself off the ground, the blood and sand mixing together and slowly drying on her features. A majority of the mixture gathered in the grove of her scar. She gave him an aggressive frown.

 

      "You look like you've just gotten your face pizza taken. Having a red face like that really suits you." The AI crossed his legs as well as his arms, his head slightly tilted.

 

      "Yeah, yeah. Go kiss a skag ya prick." Raising to her feet she struggled to stay balanced swaying back and forth. Her head began to bob up and down as she began to blink slowly.

 

"Hey. Hey! Don't nod off on me, Kiddo. At least find shelter before you go making yourself vulnerable like that."

 

      "All right! All right, don't tell me what to do, ghost." She turned her attention toward the entrance of the bandit camp and began stumbling her way toward the barren desert landscape.

 

      There was a rundown house, a shack really, on a hill about 20 minutes away from the camp. The duo had spotted it while on their way over to created some carnage and vowed to check it out afterward. Looks like that time is now.

 

      "So this 'body double'...what does he look like?" The scavenger blurted out her question as she focused on staying upright.

 

      Jack scoffed. "He's a body double. Who the hell do you think he looks like?"

 

      "Elton John?"

 

      "Who the hell is THAT?!"

 

      "I dunno...I read it somewhere one time..." Her gaze wandered around to the sand as she avoided the small sand drifts that threatened to trip her up.

 

      "It's ME. He looks like me!" The hologram placed a hand on his forehead and shook it in disbelief. "How can you be this scatter brained when you're drunk?"

 

      "Well I haven't slept in like a day and a half...so...pretty much just running on health kits right now..."

 

      "Oh so that's why you look like crap." Without turning back she tossed him a lazy middle finger and continued on. A quick laugh could be heard for the AI.

 

      A good 10 minutes of silence from Quess pursued which was filled with comments about her demeanour spewing from the hologram's mouth. He only stopped his ranting when he noticed the Hyperion shotgun strapped across her back.

 

      "Hey, cupcake. Where'd you get that gun?"

 

      "I uh... I found it when I found you... In yer uh...office." She fumbled with her words when she spoke her reply.

 

      "You know that was my shotgun. 'The Conference Call'." He pointed toward the chicken scratch label that he had written a long time ago. "Awe man, I friggin' loved it. See, Hyperion named it that because you'd want to get everyone together to tell them how awesome it is...and then kill them all!" His enthusiasm was unmatched as he reviled in all of the past glorious kills that he'd had with the old thing.

 

      The AI continued to describe the various 'epic kills' that he had gotten throughout the years as they approached the rickety house.

 

      "All right, kiddo. Do your work." He crossed his legs and did a little hand wave toward the door. Settling down on a large rock a little ways from the entrance he quirked his brow waiting for her to amuse him.

 

      She returned with a confused glare then moved her attention toward the red door who's paint was worn away with time. Realization washed over her as she reached behind her and grabbed the Conference Call, preparing to kick the door in.

 

      "Hey, pumpkin." His call made her turn toward him slowly, attempting to coordinate her steps. "Might wanna think about reloading that gun." He gestured toward the weapon with the empty magazine.

 

      "I knew that..." With a grunt she digistructed a clip and shoved it into the gun reloading it with a satisfying _click_.

 

      Repositioning her weapon she approached the door and descended her boot upon it, yielding no result.

 

      "Come on. Put a little effort into it." Jack hollered to her from his perch which earned him a small growl.

 

      With one more kick Questra yelled a cry of triumph as the metal door fell to the ground with a bang, its rusty hinges broken off from the force. Brandishing her shotgun she scanned the inside of the shack looking for any threats. The only remnants of any life was a crummy sweat-stained mattress jammed in the far corner of the room. The floor was caked in dirt and grime from years of neglect. The metal sheets that made up the roof contained many holes worn in due to the rough weather of the Dust.

 

      Sticking her head outside she yelled back to the hologram. "Jack! Get your ass in here."

 

      Feeling slightly disappointed that no struggle had occurred he floated through the doorway to join her inside. He passed through Quess as she tried to jam the door back in place or at least prop it up which made her recoil a bit. She'd never get used to that.

 

      "All right, ghost boy. Ima take a nap...and yer gunna wake me up if any danger comes."

 

      "Yeah and how exactly do you expect me to do that what with this." He thrusted his arm through her torso which caused her to jump back and smash her right shoulder into the wall.

 

      Clutching her injury she spit out a cuss. "Fuck!...I don't know you're the AI...do some crazy techno ghost stuff. Send ahh image er somethin' into my thoughts." She flopped her weight down on the discoloured mattress. Kicking off her boots and putting the Conference Call off to the side she laid down on her left as to not agitate the shoulder.

 

      "Gotcha. I'll send you a dick pic then." He snapped his fingers and pointed at her though no sound was produced.

 

      Shooting up from the mattress she gave him a death stare. "If you do that...I swear I'll rip this eye out right then and there."

 

      He scoffed turning to sit crosslegged in the corner of the dark room, his body giving off a soft glow like a nightlight. She repositioned her body back into her previous spot.

 

      "Good night, Jack and...thank you."

 

      Though he could not see her face he could hear the sincerity in her voice. The words brought up a feeling that he hadn't felt in a long time, one that he believe was appreciation. Sure people would stuttered the words 'thank you' to him after meetings and such but it was out of fear and it didn't matter if people were grateful toward him or not. He was their boss for Pete's sake. He hadn't felt like this since...when Angel...

 

      Violently shaking his head he snapped himself out of his thoughts. He was NOT going think about that...not going to think about...his...ANGEL.

 

      If a noise could've been generated from an AI slapping itself it would've shook the whole room from how loud it would've been.

 

      _No! Don't think about the past right now. Think about your plan. Think about finding that little weasel Tim and getting a body._ He hadn't told her that part, figured it would've brought up too many questions. Questions about his failed evil scheme and plans for the future. His past body double would have the perfect resources to forge a new path in a new body so long as he wasn't dead.

 

      With a dopey smile he stared at the weathered roof and booted up the internet to start his search for Timothy Lawrence.

 

      "Good night...Questra."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heads Up!
> 
>  
> 
> -Hyperion weapons have some kind of weird shotgun clip. I checked.
> 
> -WHENEVER I refer to days it's the full 90 hours.
> 
> -Jack can browse the Internet and access data with his mind. It's AI magic!


	7. Turned Allies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry I'm late posting...again...I'm just finding it a bit difficult to type. My concentration is elsewhere.I swear I'll eventually get my updates on schedule. Thanks to ExtraCheesePlease for motivating me by yelling at me to finish. Also sorry that it's a short chapter. I kinda just wanted to get this part out of the way.

      Long painted Hyperion yellow nails drummed on the metal surface of a nearby 'Frankenstein' office desk. A feminine agitated grunt passed the tall woman's lips as she paused her noise making.

 

      Fed up she slammed her hands down on the table. "What is taking so long?! You've been at it for THREE hours!" Her frame towered over the blond man seated in front of her. 

 

      "I'm...I'm trying, lady, but the networks are blocking me out. I need to get to the networks before I can get to the ECHO Eye." He stared at her with a sense of confidence which immediately died down when Crumbs took a step out of the darkness that lingered in the corners of the room and rolled his head, producing a loud cracking sound. Swallowing his discomfort he continued his frantic typing on the cheap keyboard laid out in front of him.

 

      The workspace that Lance was provided with when he was taken hostage by Cruella de Vil and her henchmen was a rinky dink little room that more resembled a cell than an office. It contained a single desk with screens and computers scattered on top, a surprisingly comfortable roller chair, and a single heavy metal door that was blocked by both bodyguards. The office desk was a monstrous blend of different materials. Two identical metal legs were accompanied by one wooden leg hastily glued to it and one dented fence post that was chopped to the appropriate size. Upon it sat two high quality monitor that were branded with the Hyperion logo on their backsides. A banged up Dahl brand computer sat under the table, connecting to the screens. 

 

      The longer he sat their yielding no results the more angered they became but Lance believed it was better to procrastinate his death rather than let it come quicker. After all once he set the tracker up what use was he to them? 

 

      After another long hour of coding detours and sidetracking the woman finally snapped and violently grabbed him by the front of his shirt sending the chair rolling into the darkness. Lifting her hand she slapped him hard across the face leaving a trail of blood caused by her nails.

 

      "I don't like to be toyed with, blondie. You should've been DONE by now." With a fake smile she spat her words out through clenched teeth. The woman effortlessly threw the blond to the floor where he struggled to sit up. 

 

      "It's harder than it looks." He grumbled out peering at her from beneath his brows. 

 

      "Oh. Well you better hope that your head is harder than it looks as well." Letting out a crazed little giggle she gestured toward her bodyguards who began to advance upon Lance. 

 

      With a sharp gasp he stumbled toward the computer and slammed the enter key which prompted the words 'Access Granted' to appear across the screen in a large green font. 

 

      She raised her hand calling off her men and harshly grabbed the blond's shoulders, digging her nails in. "See? That was easy. You just needed the proper motivation. I was lacking on my part, really." 

 

      Releasing her grip she patted his wounded cheek and strode toward the chair placing it back behind the entrepreneur. He just sat on the floor taking deep, panicked breaths in a shock like state. Crumbs walked over and picked him up off the ground as if he were a toy and placed him in an oddly gentle way in his seat. Her hands were upon him once again but this time his face was yanked by the jaw towards her, snapping him out of his daze. He trembled under her grip as her venomous gaze met his.

 

      "Now...back to work, buddy, or you're gunna feel a lot more pain. A whole lot more." Pushing his head into the keyboard she turned and joined her bodyguards, leaning on Crumbs as if he were a wall which caused the hulking mass's face to turn a light pink. 

 

      Scooting up to the desk Lance rubbed his face and released a ragged breath. It was no use postponing the inevitable. He pulled up the source console and typed in the desired access port's IP address. Another window popped up on the second monitor containing a map of Pandora as well as the X, Y, Z coordinates. After a few seconds a bright blue blip appeared on the section of the map labeled "The Dust". He had tracked it. A half an hour of work and he'd managed to drag it out to four hours. 

 

      Stomping towards the desk she shoved him to the floor clutching the monitor and bringing it closer to her face. 

 

      "YES! Ha ha! Finally!" A massive grin worked its way onto her lips, full of malice. "Boys, we won't be needing blondie anymore. Care to take care of him?"

 

      With two booming grunts the men were on Lance, grabbing tightly onto his arms and yanking him up. The entrepreneur strained agains their limbs trying to pull away. 

 

      "No! Wait! I can...I can still help you! Please! No!" Panic filled his voice as they yanked him towards the cell's door. 

 

      "I've gotten what I need from you. You're useless." Waving him off she returned to staring at the blip on the screen. 

 

      "NO!" 

 

      As quick as the door opened it was slammed shut leaving the menacing woman alone with her thoughts. 

 

-

 

      Questra rolled her head which rewarded her with a small crack that echoed around the confined rundown shack. 

 

      "'Bout time you got your lazy butt up. You've been down for about...I don't know, I wasn't paying attention but it was VERY long." Jack sat crosslegged in the corner of the room with a bored expression on his face. 

 

      The scavenger yawned seeming to ignore the hologram and held her hand out, digistructing a jar of pickle juice and a pill from her inventory. Downing the pill with the juice she continued to sip at the jar. 

 

      He knew what she was doing. He'd gone through it many times himself. Pickle juice helped a whole lot with the headaches that came with a troublesome hangover. Eventually he learned his limits and how much he could drink before becoming flat out hammered but occasionally he would over do it and would have to resort to having dill breath. As for the pill he guessed it helped with the hangover or something. 

 

      Standing up he continued his conversation even if she wasn't paying attention. "I've got  info on my double so once you're done with that we can-GAAAAAHHH!" 

 

      Questra's head shot up from her jar as she choked on her pickle juice due to the sudden shout. Her panicked eyes landed on Jack who was doubled over in pain clutching his abdomen. His pixelated form began to glitch aggressively. 

 

      "AAAAAAHHH HA HA! This really freakin' hurts!"  Falling to the ground he curled up into a ball on his side. 

 

      Through aggressive coughs she managed to wheeze out a question. "Wh-what's happening?! *cough* What's going on?! What's wrong?!" Slamming her pickle juice on the ground she crawled over to his pained form unable to aid him. 

 

      "Someone ssss-someone is messing with the eeeey-AAHHHH!" His form began to cut in and out, shooting pixels everywhere. 

 

      "I'm gunna-gunna shut it off unTIL I can find the problem and f-fix it because HOLY FFFFFF THIS HURTS!" His voice glitched slightly as he shouted his words. 

 

      "Wait. WAIT!" She was ignored as his body burst into pixels and her right eye shut off. With a sigh she sat on her butt and returned to her pickle juice. _I'll just be here... I guess._

 

-

 

      The woman's face dropped as the blip on the map disappeared. She stared at the screen with piercing eyes searching every part of the mapped terrain for even a tiny little light. Nothing. 

 

      "Where did it go? WHERE DID IT GO?!" Her voice grew in anger as she aggressively placed the monitor back in its place. 

 

      "CRUMBS! I NEED HIM! BRING THAT BITCH OF A BLOND BACK HERE!" 

 

      The shriek was followed with quickened heavy footsteps returning to the metal door. The metal surface was inched open to reveal said bodyguard covered in various liquids, the majority being blood. 

 

      The bodyguard stammered. "Bu-but Boss-"

 

      "NO! I need him NOW! Get him! I don't care what state he's currently in! GO! GET! HIM!" Her thunderous voice sent him scurrying away and down the outside hall. 

 

      About eight minutes later he and Meat Head returned with a beaten and bloodied Lance in tow. His wavy hair was half-assedly hacked short which drew attention to the many purple and blue bruises on his body and face. He had a black eye on his right along with a broken leg. Clearly someone was having some fun with him before they had to off the man. 

 

      She waved a hand in front of his face which earned no reaction, not even a blink from his open eyes. He was broken. 

 

      A smile crept along the woman's face. "Just place him in the chair."

 

      Following their boss's orders they gently placed him in the roller chair and returned to their previous positions at the door. 

 

      She approached the chair and stood behind Lance giving him a gentle pat on the head. 

 

      "Welcome to the team."

 


End file.
